No Ordinary Butler
by PerfectlyBrokenStar
Summary: Jason Todd Wayne would barely listen to the orders of his surrogate father, Bruce Wayne, but from now on he would most defiantly be listening to Alfred Pennyworth.


**Notice: **This was just an idea that popped into my head at four o' clock in the morning, I continued with it today and decided to post it. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

**Summary: **Jason Todd Wayne would barely listen to the orders of his surrogate father, but from now on he would most defiantly be listening to Alfred Pennyworth.

**Disclaimer: **Batman is owned by DC comics.

**No Ordinary Butler **

Bruce Wayne stepped into the manor with a briefcase in his hand, looking particularly tired from his long day at work. Alfred reached out and took the brief case from him then helped him to remove his long black coat which he hung up on the coat stand in the large hallway.

"Where are the boys?" asked Bruce before a yawn.

"In their bedrooms, sir" Alfred Pennyworth informed him. "Will I be taking this to your study?" he motioned with his free hand to the briefcase.

Bruce nodded. "Thank you, Alfred. I think I'll check on the boys, then get on with some work before dinner"

"Certainly, Master Bruce" and with that Alfred turned and fled to the stairs.

Bruce went into the kitchen for an unhealthy snack seeing as Alfred wasn't currently in there, the elderly man didn't like anyone eating any sort of junk food. Alfred claimed eating such foods led to things like heart disease, but Bruce had insisted that once in a while it wouldn't hurt. However, Bruce still hid his junk food from Alfred, not wanting to get into another debate about whether or not he should be eating such foods.

As Bruce turned to leave the kitchen after a chocolate chip cookie he bumped into something about half his height.

"Hey Bruce!" Timothy Drake Wayne grinned up at him.

"Hey, Bruce" another voice spoke from behind Tim and Bruce looked up to see his eldest son also stood there, Dick Greyson Wayne.

"Hello, boys" he said softly before ruffling his hand through Tim's hair. "Where's Jason?" he asked casually, looking about for his other surrogate son.

Dick tutted and folded his arms over his chest. "Who cares?"

Bruce immediately frowned at the eighteen year old. "_I _care. I know you two don't always see eye to eye-"

"Understatement of the year" muttered Tim to which Bruce glared at him. "I'm just gonna go into the kitchen" he quickly snuck passed Bruce and went into the kitchen.

"As I was _saying_, I know you two don't always get along, but I really want you to try, Dick. Things are getting far too tense around here" Bruce sighed miserably.

"It's not my fault he's such a bastard" Dick protested, looking away from his father, arms still folded stubbornly.

"_Language_" Bruce warned before continuing. "Life hasn't been easy for Jason so just go easy on him, okay?"

"If you hadn't noticed" Dick's hard eyes had now turned to Bruce. "_He's _the one that starts all the fights between us!"

Bruce pressed his finger and thumb to the top of the arch of his nose, he was getting a headache from tiredness. It had been a long day at work and he had been out late last night in search of the Joker, who had once again escaped from Arkham Asylum along with his just-as-insane sidekick, Harley Quinn.

"Look, Dick, I am not in the mood for this. Just stop letting him wind you up so much, you need to learn to remain calm, no matter how much he eggs you on, understand?" Bruce said quickly, getting straight to the point.

Dick still didn't look convinced.

"That new pair of sneakers you wanted if you stop the fighting for the next week?" Bruce bargained.

"Sold!" Dick was now beaming, he went passed Bruce and into the kitchen.

_It won't be Batman that gets me killed, _Bruce thought to himself_, it'll be these kids_. He shook off the thought then made his way up the stairs. He had been almost tempted to take the elevator considering how tired he was and the headache which seemed to be quickly getting worse. However, he soon after decided he couldn't bring himself to be that lazy; he was Batman after all.

Bruce knocked on the bedroom door of his middle-child.

"What?" a grouchy voice demanded from within the bedroom.

Bruce's lips pursed at the attitude that came from Jason, though he was fairly used to it by now. He pulled down the handle and opened the door to see the fifteen year old sat on the edge of his bed with a game controller in his hands, watching the television intensely and furiously pushing down keys on the controller. Bruce didn't much like the boys playing video games, but it kept them quiet and entertained for a while, and he supposed it couldn't really hurt. Although, it was sometimes difficult to get them to stop playing the games and go and do some of their homework.

"Turn that off for a minute, we need to have a talk" Bruce ordered. Jason completely ignored him and continued shooting at virtual aliens. "Jason, I mean it"

"What d'you want? I'm busy" the boy practically growled, still not turning off or even pausing the Xbox.

"Have you done your essay for English?" Bruce asked, knowing it was most likely the boy hadn't even read the title of the essay yet, let alone done any work on it.

Jason snorted. "No"

Bruce's anger rose at this, the boy hadn't even attempted to deny that he hadn't done it. "Then I suggest you get started on it, or you'll be grounded" Bruce threatened.

Jason didn't even glance at Bruce. "I'm already grounded" he said tonelessly, all of his focus still on his game.

He was right, Bruce remembered, Jason was already grounded for sneaking out two days ago in the evening, most likely to see those wayward friends of his from school. Bruce had been furious and grounded him for a week. Though however many times Bruce grounded him, it still didn't seem to make a difference to his attitude or behaviour. Bruce was at his wits end now, and just didn't know what else he could do.

Bruce's temper raised a few notches as did his voice. "Just do you school work, Jason, no more arguing"

Jason now turned to look at Bruce with a smirk on his face. "Or you'll do what?"

Bruce was almost tempted to scream the boy's head off; Jason was purposely trying to push Bruce's buttons and get him to lose it. However, they both knew Bruce wouldn't lose his cool, or at least he would try his best not to. Bruce felt he still needed to give Jason a chance, to show him love and compassion because he had had such a tough life.

Bruce didn't have an answer for Jason, bottling up his anger was becoming extremely difficult and so to stop it from being released Bruce left the room, slamming the door behind him. He leant again the door for a moment and closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply, trying to calm himself.

There was nothing more Bruce could do; grounding him didn't seem to work because Bruce would forget or he would sneak out anyway, taking away his privileges didn't work because he would simply go to his friend's home and watch TV there or play their Xbox and Play-stations or whatever game station it was that kids were playing on these days. Bruce had tried reasoning with him, he had tried shouting at him, he had even tried bribing him, but nothing seemed to work. Bruce was slowly coming to the conclusion that it was hopeless, he would just have to pay Jason's way through school and college.

"Everything all right, Master Bruce?" Alfred had appeared, pulling Bruce from his thoughts. The elderly man had yesterdays newspaper rolled up in his hand, he had found it in Bruce's study and was planning to dispose of it.

"No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get him to behave" Bruce said sorrowfully, staring thoughtfully up at the bright light on the hallway ceiling.

"Jason, sir?" Alfred questioned.

Bruce just nodded and stood up straight from the door, he was about to adjourn to his study when Alfred's spoke again.

"If I may be so bold, sir, perhaps I could speak with him?" Alfred offered.

"Couldn't hurt" shrugged Bruce, thinking it probably wasn't even worth it, but he would at least let the old man try. Bruce stepped aside to let Alfred go in through the door and headed off to his study; he had paperwork to finish and he wanted to get it completed before dinner was served.

Meanwhile Alfred had gone into Jason's room, whom of which seemed completely unaware of the man's presence as he played his Xbox. Alfred cleared his throat, but received no attention from the fifteen year old. Alfred folded his arms over his chest, feeling a little irritated.

"_Master, Jason!_" he said crossly attempting to get his attention.

"What d' _you _want?" Jason snapped not looking Alfred's way, eyes still intently focussed on the television screen hanging on the wall above his desk though he was now scowling.

Alfred ignored what the boy had said, also the way he had been spoken to; "I believe you have school work to be getting on with?" Alfred reminded him.

"And?" Jason rolled his eyes.

"_And _you are not going to get into a decent college unless you get on and complete that work" Alfred concluded.

"Whatever" Jason muttered, not really listening to the butler.

Alfred had quickly had enough, the boy had had an attitude with everyone in the household for months and it was getting ridiculous.

"Master Jason, you will listen to Master Bruce and myself or there will be consequences" Alfred informed him, he was angry truth be told, but it being Alfred he managed to come across as calm yet stern at the same time.

Jason scoffed. "What are you gonna do? You're just the butler"

Alfred had in fact expected this sort of response from Jason and so wasn't really surprised or taken aback by his words. But after all Alfred had done for the young man it did madden him that he would treat him with such disrespect.

"Young man, I am no _ordinary _butler"

Alfred didn't waste anymore time, he took the rolled up newspaper in his hand, bought it up in the air and whacked the boy around the side of the head with it. Jason flinched and yelped, his hands let the controller drop to the navy blue carpet and he put his right hand on his head.

"What the _hell_!?" he yelled, now turning to look at Alfred and rubbing the side of his head.

"Watch your language" Alfred said calmly, he smiled a little, having finally got a reaction out of the boy.

"You can't hit me!" Jason protested, but could have kicked himself at how pathetic he had sounded.

"I think you will find that I just did, young man. Now, I suggest you get on and do your work unless you want me to do it again" Alfred kept the smile.

"I'm telling Bruce about what you just did!" Jason told Alfred, his voice higher pitched than usual and sounding somewhat desperate.

"Do as you will, young master, but first get out your books from your school bag and begin studying" Alfred knew it would take some more convincing but he was willing to at least give the young man a fair chance.

"No way" Jason folded his arms and pouted, turning his face away from Alfred.

"Very well, then…as you wish"

There was a pause in which Jason had grinned, presuming he had won, however, Alfred suddenly hit with the newspaper again. Jason was getting annoyed with this, it hurt and he knew full well he could take on the old guy easily, but Bruce really would lose it if he laid a finger on Alfred.

Though it destroyed his pride and ego, Jason gave in. "Okay! Geez!" he stood up and switched off the television and Xbox. He then sat down at his desk which had his school bag on it, of which had casually been dumped there when Jason had come home. As Jason unzipped the bag he kept sending short glares at Alfred, who was merely standing there with the newspaper still in his hand looking satisfied with his success.

_I'll get him back for this if it's the last thing I do_, Jason thought angrily.

"I'll leave you to it then. But don't think I won't be back to check up on you, because I will" Alfred made his way over to the door and before he closed it behind himself uttered the words "_With _the newspaper"

The manor was quiet, too quiet, Bruce had decided. Where was Jason? Bruce got up from his chair in the study and left the room to venture down the hall to his son's bedroom. He pressed his ear to the door but couldn't hear anything; no booming rock music, no loud extreme sports TV shows and not even the sound of him playing an Xbox game. Bruce began to worry, thinking the boy may have snuck out of the manor again. He opened the bedroom door and peered in, just to make sure he defiantly wasn't in there.

Being Batman Bruce thought he was ready for anything, but the sight before him gave him the shock of his life. Jason was sat at his desk with paper's scattered across it, apparently writing something down onto one of the sheets of paper.

"What are you doing?" Bruce asked, frowning.

"School work, what's it look like?" Jason said quietly, though continuing to concentrate on his assignment.

Bruce couldn't tell if it was the fatigue or the shock that his son was actually doing his school work, but he was sure that he was about to faint. Bruce quickly left the room without another word, not wanting to disturb him or say anything which would stop him from doing his work. Bruce thought it was nothing short of a miracle, he didn't know what Alfred had done and didn't really care, Jason was actually _studying _and that was all that really mattered.

Bruce smiled, Alfred Pennyworth really was no ordinary butler.


End file.
